It's that time of year: Toronto announces spring road closures

Tuesday, March 10, 2015, 12:18 PM - It's that time of year. Temperatures are rising (for now), the winter is dwindling, and the City of Toronto has picked the streets it'll close for spring maintenance this year.

Here are the city's proposed weekend road closures:

• Allen Road, from Sheppard Avenue to Eglinton Avenue, will be closed from Friday, April 17 at 11 p.m. to Monday, April 20 at 5 a.m. for spring maintenance work. (Alternative date: May 8-11) 
• The Don Valley Parkway, from the Gardiner Expressway to Highway 401, will be closed from Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. to Sunday, April 26 at 6 a.m. for spring maintenance activities. The roadway will reopen early on Sunday, April 26 to help improve traffic conditions during the Khalsa Parade which takes place on various city streets. (Alternative date: May 29-June 1, however the roadway would be made available for the Ride for Heart event). 
• The Gardiner Expressway, from Carlaw Avenue to Highway 427, will be closed from Friday, May 1 at 8 p.m. to Sunday, May 3 at 6 a.m. for spring maintenance activities. The roadway will reopen early to help improve traffic conditions during the Toronto Marathon which takes place between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. that weekend on various city streets. (Alternative date: May 15-18, opening for Victoria Day). 
• The Gardiner Expressway will be closed from Carlaw Avenue to Highway 427 and the Don Valley Parkway will be closed from Highway 401 to the Gardiner Expressway on Sunday, May 31 from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate the Ride for Heart event. 

It'll be needed. The city hasn't had an out-of-the-ordinary winter as far as snowfall amounts go (Pearson has recorded 97.1 cm so far this season, a little below the normal of 108.5 cm), but the temperatures have been another matter entirely.

The city has spent a total of 37 days under an extreme cold weather alert this winter, with core temperatures occasionally near the -20^oC mark. Those freezing temperatures cause sub-surface water to freeze and expand, causing frost heaves and other road damage.

That means pot holes, and plenty of them, and the city also announced a pothole blitz this week.

City Hall seems to be serious about it this year, dispatching around 100 workers in 25 to 30 crews, which it says is double the previous year. 

WANT TO MAKE YOUR POTHOLE FAMOUS? Kevin Yarde will be reporting from Toronto on Wednesday. Tweet him @KevinTWN with your location (hashtag #potholesofCanada), and you might make it on TV!

The city spends $3.5 million on the process each year, and they're asking people to not be shy about reporting roads that need fixing, by calling them in or using the online 311 service.

The city says it repairs an average of 230,000 potholes per year.

AT LEAST IT'S NOT MONCTON: Look at the terrifying size of the snow pile in the video below.